The Stradbroke Handicap is the premier Group 1 race held in Queensland as part of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. Conducted annually in June, this $1.5 million open handicap event is traditionally raced over 1400m at Eagle Farm or 1350m when taking place at sister track Doomben Racecourse. The richest race of the carnival, it is run as the highlight event on Stradbroke Handicap Day at Eagle Farm Racecourse (track permitting).

The race shares the day with other quality events including the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m) for two-year-old milers, Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) for three-year-olds and the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (2400m) for stayers. When Stradbroke Handicap Day is run at Doomben, the 2400m staying features are conducted over a shortened 2200m.

The key new lead-up race for runners in the Stradbroke Handicap is the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) – formerly known as the BTC Cup and conducted over 1200m – held a fortnight before at the Eagle Farm or Doomben track. Another good lead-up into both races is the weight-for-age Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) in mid-May.

Class sprinters that perform well in the Stradbroke Handicap may go on to contest some of the other high status Australian races held during the Sydney and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnivals later in the year.

When betting on the Stradbroke Handicap it is important to look at things like the age of the competitors, as six-year-olds have dominated the race over the past decade with five wins from 2008 – 2017. Only one two-year-old has claimed victory in the race, Wiggle in 1958, while the last three-year-old Stradbroke Handicap winner was Impending in 2017.

2018 Stradbroke Handicap Form Guide

2018 Stradbroke Handicap Field

The Stradbroke Handicap field attracts a quality field of middle-distance sprinters each season from both local Queensland stables as well as interstate raiders. In recent years horses from Sydney and Melbourne have enjoyed plenty of success over the Brisbane sprinters in the Stradbroke Handicap field. Horses come into the race via runs in lead-up events in Brisbane like the Doomben 10,000 and the new-look Kingsford Smith Cup (formerly the BTC Cup). The Goodwood over 1200m in Adelaide the month before is also a key lead-up into the Stradbroke Handicap field.

The official Stradbroke Handicap 2018 Final Field & Barriers is now published and available to view below.

No

Last 10

Horse

Trainer

Jockey

Barrier

Weight

Hcp Rating

1

341x23x121

IMPENDING

James Cummings

Damian Browne

9

57.5kg

–

2

x341x6x031

SANTA ANA LANE

Anthony Freedman

Ben Melham

3

55.5kg

–

3

x21419140x

CRACK ME UP (NZ)

Liam Birchley

Jim Byrne

5

53.5kg

–

4

x360x31495

ENDLESS DRAMA (IRE)

Chris Waller

Glyn Schofield

20

53.5kg

–

5

x257x145x0

VOODOO LAD

Darren Weir

Chris Parnham

7

53.5kg

–

6

290x2860x5

SPIETH (NZ)

David & B Hayes & T Dabernig

Craig Williams

21

53.5kg

–

7

3475×38485

FOXPLAY

Chris Waller

Michael Walker

19

53kg

–

8

641241×289

MOST IMPORTANT

Tony Gollan

Mark Du Plessis

2

53kg

–

9

2234430×51

THE MONSTAR

Brett Cavanough

Skye Bogenhuber

8

52.5kg

–

10

x731x076x4

SHILLELAGH (NZ)

Chris Waller

Michael Dee

10

52.5kg

–

11

11x1112x67

CARE TO THINK

Matthew Dunn

Tim Clark

16

52.5kg

–

12

15330×3717

BURNING PASSION

Mark Newnham

Michael Cahill

15

52kg

–

13

0x188x1x04

SUPER CASH

Andrew Noblet

Jamie Kah

13

51.5kg

–

14

12x13x3503

INVINCIBLE GEM

Kris Lees

Brenton Avdulla

17

51.5kg

–

15

3715×57911

PERAST

Paul Perry

Jeff Lloyd

12

50kg

–

16

1x32222x13

CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES

Bjorn Baker

Corey Brown

1

50kg

–

17e

x2x533x98x

DANON LIBERTY (JPN)

Darren Weir

–

6

51.5kg

–

18e

1121×13121

OSBORNE BULLS

James Cummings

Kerrin McEvoy

4

51.5kg

–

19e

8211313×71

MOSS ’N’ DALE (NZ)

Peter Gelagotis

Anthony Darmanin

11

51kg

102

20e

2x21121x15

PECANS

Joseph Pride

–

18

51kg

101

21e

x21812x312

I’M A RIPPA

Tony Gollan

–

14

51kg

97

2018 Stradbroke Handicap First Acceptances

The Stradbroke Handicap 2018 first acceptances further narrow down the list of potential runners in the winter carnival feature race and close on May 30, 2018.

2018 Stradbroke Handicap Nominations

Early Stradbroke Handicap 2018 nominations close on a Tuesday in early May and will be available below.

The official 2018 Stradbroke Handicap Nominations attracted 119 sprinters including the defending champion Impending who won the Victory Stakes at Doomben first-up and last year’s runner-up In Her Time who is on way to The Everest race in the spring.

Stradbroke Handicap History

First run in 1890, the Stradbroke Handicap is one of the oldest Queensland races. Pyrrhus won the inaugural event when it was a principal race run over six furlongs. During the war the race was not held from 1942 to 1945. In 1953 the race distance was increased to seven furlongs and was later converted to 1400m in 1973. In 1980 the event was given Group 1 status. The race is named after Lord Stradbroke one of the originators of the weight-for-age scale in thoroughbred racing.

The Stradbroke Handicap became Queensland’s most lucrative and anticipated race in 1996 when the prize purse was increased to $1 million and it is now worth $1.5 million in total prize money.

Races.com.au

Races.com.au is here to provide you with the best coverage of Horse Racing from across Australia and around the World, including the Melbourne Cup and Spring Racing Carnival.Is gambling a problem for you? Call Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au